Tokyo Olympics Star Found Dead

Undated Photo of Athlete Agnes Tirop During the Past Running Event
Undated Photo of Athlete Agnes Tirop During the Past Running Event
World Athletics

Agnes Tirop, Kenya's 5,000m women's representative to Tokyo Olympics has been found dead on Wednesday, October 13.

Tirop was found dead at her home in Elgeyo Marakwet County - she had stab wounds on the neck. The circumstances surrounding her death remain unclear at the time of publishing this story. 

According to residents, the athlete had domestic wrangles with her lover for a while. The wrangles escalated in the morning when Tirop went to pick some of her belongings.

They suspected that Tirop might have been killed after their scuffle. To express their anger, the residents went ahead to stone a car believed to be of a friend of her boyfriend.

Undated Photo of Athlete Agnes Tirop During the Past Running Event
Undated Photo of Athlete Agnes Tirop During the Past Running Event
World Athletics

However, the suspect managed to escape from the irate mob.

The star athlete had just become the world record holder last month after winning the 10km road race after clocking 30:01 during the Adizero Road to Records event in Herzogenaurach, Germany. 

At the age of 19 years, Tirop become the youngest winner of the World Cross since Zola Budd in 1985 and the second youngest in World Cross Country Athletics history.

The sportswoman was also the junior champion at the African Cross Country Championships in 2014. 

She holds a 5000m best of 14:50.36 minutes. She won a bronze medal in the 10,000 metres event at the 2017 World Championships.

Tirop rose to prominence in 2012 becoming the runner-up at the Kenyan Cross Country Championships.

Her passing on comes just days after another athlete was also found dead. Hosea Mwok Macharinyang was found dead at his home in Murkwijit, West Pokot County on Saturday, October 9.

He had been set to make a comeback before his demise. Detectives launched investigations with the aim of getting at the bottom of his death.

"A month ago, I met him in Iten where he was training and I sought to know where he had been.

"He promised to find time to explain to me what he has been doing. It is saddening that he has passed on," Mwok's coach, Boniface Tiren, stated.

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